This is a class blog run by Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru and her students in the course "Telenovelas, Culture & Society" at the University of Georgia during Fall 2015

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Aspects of Telenovela Production Demystified

If I were to describe
the production process for a telenovela in one word, it would probably be “rigorous”
(Okay, I lied. It would actually be two
words: “rigorous” and “hectic”). After studying this process in class for the
past two days last week, I have been left dumbfounded by how much work goes
into creating just one telenovela episode. Now, imagine having to repeat
that process almost every day until the program ends… only to start all over,
again. Based on this aspect, I have more respect for the telenovela because
making one requires intense dedication. Recalling the class discussions and
readings on this topic, three parts of telenovela production stick out to me:
the writing process, the role of the Script (as a person), and the
choreographed nature of “love scenes.”It seems that, to be an Author for telenovelas, one has
to enjoy their profession and become immersed in the plot. One telenovela
episode is about thirty to forty pages long, which is a daunting feat in
itself. Because these episodes air almost every day of the week, this means
that the Auhor must create an outline (Diagramación)
for a new episode almost every day of the week. Fortunately, he or she
collaborates with a team of other authors (Dialogistas)
who specialize in certain entertainment genres in order to enhance the dialogue
in the storyline. Once this storyline is fixed and completed, the Writer
e-mails it to the Executive Producer, where it undergoes more editing.Of course, I find that working as a Script may be one of
the most difficult aspects of telenovela production. This refers to both the
actual paper and the person in charge of it, which had seemed a little
confusing to me in the class discussions at first. This particular position is
challenging because it involves constantly checking for details and inconsistencies
in the storyline, on the set “floor” and in
the Control Room with different cameras used to aid the Director. Everything must be carefully inspected from
scene to scene for accuracy. Sometimes, though, glaring mistakes do happen:
such as a nail polish goof from the Brazilian telenovela, O clone (2001), as shown and discussed in class.

Perhaps what is really bizarre about creating telenovelas
is how “love scenes” are treated. On television, these scenes looks believable
and somewhat easy to do, Work behind the scenes, on the other hand, reveals an
entirely different side. Every “love scene” is choreographed (SURPRISE!). While
it may look like an actor and actress
onscreen are naked, the reality is that they are clothed the whole time.
Similarly, when they kiss each other, the do not exchange anything. I must say
that, seeing these kinds of scenes in class without the accompanying
music (a part of post-production) felt awkward and a bit disturbing: especially
when one considers that the telenovela production crew is also watching.

All in all, nothing is what it is seems in producing a
telenovela. Learning about this process serves to dispel the frequent and
common misconceptions about this type of television program. If anything,
telenovelas require more work and less time when compared to television production
formats in the United States. For this reason, I think that telenovelas deserve
more recognition in terms of their production.